Brazil 2014 RUSSIA FABIO CAPELLO ENERGISED by EXPECTATION

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ISSUE 35, 20 JUNE 2014 ENGLISH EDITION

Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Since 1904

RUSSIA FABIO CAPELLO ENERGISED BY EXPECTATION

CROATIA STAR SUPPORTER DAVOR SUKER

CHILE REWARDED FOR ATTACKING INTENT

Brazil 2014 MAGICAL MANAUS

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Rumble in the Jungle North and South America Reserved friendliness, breathtaking nature and Central America 10 members thrilling football are just three things that set 35 members www.conmebol.com Manaus apart during the World Cup. Our writer www.concacaf.com Thomas Renggli sets out to investigate this jungle metropolis and recounts the history of a 6 city in which there is no escaping the heat. Sepp Blatter: A great attacking spectacle 19 The FIFA President waxes lyrical about the World Cup’s goal-laden start and praises the coaches for their readiness to take risks, all the while convinced that “the best is yet to come!”

Snapshots of Brazil 29 Our editorial team give their very personal impressions of the World Cup, describing the moments that have particularly moved and inspired them so far.

“I still want to be out there winning 30 matches” Davor Suker still gets restless whenever he watches a football match. In The FIFA Weekly interview, the Croatian Football Federation president discusses his time as a player and the ambitions of the current national team.

14 Chile Alexis Sanchez and his team defeated Spain 2-0 to send the defending champions home. Magical Manaus On the cover this week we feature a celebrating Brazilian. The euphoria in Seleção country shows no signs of abating.

Guillaume Horcajuelo / EPA World Cup 2014: Groups A-C

Group A Group B Group C

Brazil Spain Colombia The FIFA Weekly Magazine App Croatia Netherlands Greece The FIFA Weekly, FIFA’s football magazine, is also available in ﬁve languages as an Mexico Chile Côte d’Ivoire e-Magazine on your tablet every Friday. Cameroon Australia Japan

2 T H E F I FA W E E K LY THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

Europe Africa Asia Oceania 54 members 54 members 46 members 11 members www.uefa.com www.cafonline.com www.the-afc.com www.oceaniafootball.com

24 Russia Despite a faltering start to the World Cup, Russia coach Fabio Capello is still conﬁdent that his side can reach the Round of 16.

14 Germany Thomas Muller practically defeated Portugal single- handedly before Chancellor Angela Merkel joined in the post-match celebrations.

17 Nigeria Stephen Keshi is renowned for discipline and structure, and after the Super Eagles' opening 0-0 draw with Iran, his side need those characte- ristics more than ever.

World Cup 2014: Groups D-H

Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H

Uruguay Switzerland Argentina Germany Belgium

Costa Rica Ecuador Bosnia-Herzegovina Portugal Algeria

England France Iran Ghana Russia

Italy Honduras Nigeria USA Korea Republic

THE FIFA WEEKLY 3 WELCOME TO

Heart in the right place World Cup host city Manaus’ love of football is clear to see.

Lost in the footballing jungle

umble in the Jungle!” Four group matches are being n this week’s review of the World Cup camps, news that played in the city of Manaus, located deep within the Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher has wok- “R Brazilian jungle, but what is this legendary city real- I en from his coma spurred Germany on to a 4-0 win over ly all about? Thomas Renggli lost himself in the streets of Portugal. Elsewhere, Chile have already qualiﬁed for the this special metropolis and experienced the immense Round of 16, Greece’s Theofanis Gekas is playing for the warmth of its people. last major contract of his career, and the Nigerian team have their backs to the wall. IFA President Sepp Blater discusses the high temperatures in his weekly column, saying: “There was much nd then, of course, there is the mater of reigning F speculation that the unique conditions in Brazil could champions Spain, resigned to an early exit afer just put a damper on matches,” before adding: “Instead, we’re A two matches. The question now is: Who will be their seeing the exact opposite.” successors to football’s biggest crown? Å

abio Capello and his Russia team are under pressure, but Sarah Steiner the Italian tactician still believes his side can progress. F We took a closer look at Russian football and spoke to the national team’s successful coach. Reuters

Ivan Canabrava

THE FIFA WEEKLY 5 MANAUS

Jungle football No other World Cup host city has provoked as much debate as Manaus, located deep in the heart of the Amazon. Yet as we discovered on a sweat-inducing trip to the rainforest, it is impossible not to fall for this town’s charm.

6 T H E F I FA W E E K LY MANAUS

Water! Italy's Daniele De Rossi

imago quenches his thirst

THE FIFA WEEKLY 7 MANAUS

Thomas Renggli, Manaus

he experience of atending a World Cup match in Manaus is an odyssey unlike any other, and is not one for the faint-hearted or heat-averse football fan. Im- agine playing the game in a sauna or a steel casting foundry and you begin to get a feeling for the temperatures involved. Even for those not taking part out on the pitch, a trip to the city is an eye-opening adventure. The landscape itself shifs the meaning of everyday life into a rather diferent sphere of sig- Tniﬁcance, while the aeroplane’s descent upon arrival is simply breathtaking: the Amazon looks less like a river than it does a vast ocean in the middle of the rainforest. Yet even such stunning views were not enough to silence the travelling England fans, who blasted out a rendition of ‘Football’s coming home’ on the plane’s ﬁnal approach. However, they were wise enough to pay heed to the local guides, who warned visitors

Cold shower of the domestic dangers with tales of Barren Staples/Reuters, Guillermo Arias/Keystone, Pio Figueiroa (2) Wayne Rooney could not save England from an opening match defeat in Manaus

A logical outcome Wet hair Playing football off Manaus’ Ponta The briefest of respites Negra beach from World Cup fever

8 T H E F I FA W E E K LY MANAUS

bad-tempered crocodiles, poisonous spiders formance that was a lesson both in economy of and hungry piranhas, while strongly recom- Andrea Pirlo efort and intelligence. In temperatures hover- mending a yellow fever vaccination. ing around 32 degrees Celsius with 90 per cent The probability of catching malaria is also humidity, Pirlo dosed his energy carefully and significantly higher here than in the rest of taught England ran no further than he needed to, but was still the country. hugely influential. The next four teams to ap- Yet those able to push aside thoughts of a lesson in pear in Manaus; USA, Portugal, Honduras and an emergency visit to hospital – and those Switzerland, would be well advised to study his not required to stifle Andrea Pirlo and Mario display as an example of how to play football Balotelli – they were lucky enough to discov- 32-degree heat. in extreme conditions. It was telling that with er a diferent, surprising side to the World the English players long since flagging and Cup, and indeed to Brazil itself. Compared to gasping for air as the game entered stoppage the more sophisticated, headline-grabbing time, Pirlo was still able to rifle in a free-kick atractions on the beach front in Rio de Ja- that cannoned of the crossbar. “A lot of our neiro, Manaus, the biggest setlement in the players were sufering from cramp and that’s Amazon with a population of two million, something we’ll have to cope with,” said Eng- appears to hail from another world entirely. land manager Roy Hodgson of the physical toll The city’s isolated location seems to shape the game took on his squad. the character of its inhabitants and visitors Authentic ‘rumble in the jungle’ Hodgson himself was rather more adept at are met with a reserved friendliness that of- It may not have been a boxing match, but Eng- dealing with the heat. While his young atack- fers a stark contrast to the typical clichés of land’s fixture against Italy was every bit as ers Raheem Sterling, Danny Welbeck and Dan- loud, gaudy Brazilians. The pace of life is much a ‘rumble in the jungle’ as Muhammad iel Sturridge expended their energy in the first slower, almost muted. The native Indian pop- Ali versus George Foreman was, only this time half through a mixture of interplay, cockiness ulation is warm-hearted and shy in welcom- it was Wayne Rooney and Co against Pirlo’s and carelessness, the 66-year-old sat in the ing guests, as if they were trying to apologise Italy. Come the final whistle it was the 35-year- shade with statesmanlike composure, leaving for the fact that life here is not a pulsating, old Italian veteran with the flowing, unkempt his assistants to tweak on-field maters from

Barren Staples/Reuters, Guillermo Arias/Keystone, Pio Figueiroa (2) round-the-clock ﬁesta. beard who was celebrating, having given a per- the technical area.

Camping atmosphere There is always a Brazilian emblem to be seen somewhere

THE FIFA WEEKLY 9 MANAUS

Hodgson’s Italian counterpart Cesare Pran- delli, who had prepared his troops for the sti- ﬂing conditions by sending them to saunas in Florence, was considerably more active on the touchline before reaching his limit. “We had to slow our rhythm down in order to get our breath back,” said the coach. “Fortunately the oﬃcials were wise enough to occasionally stop the game for drink breaks. But playing football in these conditions is crazy.” The heat was too much even for the most hot-headed member of the Italian ensemble, Mario Balotelli: “I’ve played a lot of matches in hot weather but never when it’s been like this. If the climate were the same everywhere they’d have to introduce time-outs.” In football there are no binding rules re- garding the maximum temperatures in which the game can be played, although fans old enough to remember the ‘Heat batle of Laus- anne’ at the 1954 World Cup would argue there should be. Switzerland hosted Austria at La Pontaise stadium and by the time the players took to the pitch under a blazing sun, temperatures had soared to 40 degrees. Austrian goalkeeper Kurt Schmied sufered

Water break sunstroke in the ﬁrst half but had to stay on be- Fabrice Coffrini/Afp, Bruno Kelly/Reuters, Reinaldo Coddou H./fotogloria, Pio Figueiroa Italian captain Andrea Pirlo cools off

Flags doubling as Bumper crop sunshades Two street traders wait The streets of Manaus for customers

10 T H E F I FA W E E K LY MANAUS

cause the rules at the time did not allow for sub- It was not always this way. During the stitutions. Schmied played on as if in a trance; a Italy's sauna rubber boom towards the end of the 19th staggering, glazed-eyed spectre powerless to stop century, Manaus was one of the wealthiest Switzerland scoring three goals in eight minutes. cities in the world and had direct shipping It did not occur to anybody that the ailing visits prepared routes to Liverpool and New York. Today players might benefit from a drink break. In- Manaus can only be reached either by plane stead, Austria’s masseur took maters into his or by boat, with no train lines or roads pass- own hands and stood behind the goal and tried them for ing through here. The only paved street in to keep Schmied cool by plying him with wet and out of the city leads to Venezuela. “We sponges and water. It was not long before the live on an island here,” said Elder, a local of- Swiss ran out of steam, allowing Austria to pull conditions in fice clerk. “I was born and raised in Manaus. level within four minutes. In the closing stages I’ve never been to Rio de Janeiro.” In conver- Switzerland’s Roger Bocquet collapsed on the sation with the 26-year-old it becomes in- pitch and the hosts eventually lost 7-5 in what Manaus. creasingly clear why the World Cup is being remains the highest-scoring World Cup match hosted in such a mystical location. And as in history. Such scenes are unlikely to be re- visitors do not usually tend to get as far as peated over the next three and a half weeks, Manaus, the city began extending invita- jungle football or not. tions for them to arrive. Tax breaks were of- fered to multinational companies, with Sony, Mystical location Samsung, Honda and Yamaha all opening “It’s always 40 degrees in Manaus, but heat is factories in Manaus as a result. That in turn a lot beter than the cold,” said Quanita, a straightforward route and clearly-visible sign- has given job security to the local popula- worker stationed at the city airport who is posts making her presence largely unneces- tion, as well as raising the standard of living. employed alongside her mother to aid foreign sary. Yet Quanita fulfils her role with a Furthermore, duty-free shopping is available tourists for the duration of the World Cup. warmth that makes you want to stay and en- in the city centre, even if the cost of basic The 22-year-old helps escort visitors from the joy the city’s wild charm until the end of the goods is higher than in the rest of the coun-

Fabrice Coffrini/Afp, Bruno Kelly/Reuters, Reinaldo Coddou H./fotogloria, Pio Figueiroa arrivals hall to the bus station, despite the tournament, if not longer. try due to Manaus’ remote location.

The opera house Caruso only sang there in Herzog's ﬁlm Fitzcarraldo

THE FIFA WEEKLY 11 Only eight countries have ever lifted the FIFA World Cup Trophy. Yet over 200 have been winners with FIFA.

As an organisation with 209 member associations, our responsibilities do not end with the FIFA World Cup™, but extend to safeguarding the Laws of the Game, developing football around the world and bringing hope to those less privileged.

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Manaus is not your typical football venue, as many of the more intrepid visitors have discovered to their delight. No World Cup host city is more exciting or surprising than this jungle metropolis, where the dark waters of the Negro river and the clearer waters of the Soli- moes flow side by side to create one of the Am- azon’s most majestic sights. In the city’s heyday only the very best was considered good enough for Manaus. The Te- atro Amazonas, the opera house, stems from that bygone period and would provide a stage for only the greatest tenors to perform on. A large part of the construction materials for the building arrived from Europe, with the tiles for the roof shipped in from Germany, the cobblestone for the courtyard imported from Portugal, while the metal handrails in the gallery and the ceiling frescos are prod- ucts of Italian crafsmanship. However, today the building stands as a relic of a long-forgotten era. There is no longer any semblance of an operatic atmosphere in the city; instead the bustle of everyday life has taken over and the streets are now filled with countless stalls selling everything from bananas to jeans and plastic toys. The agony of cramp English presence Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini (l) and Claudio Marchisio help England’s Raheem Sterling to stretch out The bumpy, weather-beaten pitch at the Arena da Amazonia provided the platform for Pirlo’s masterclass, much to the dismay of the thou- sands of sweltering English fans. They had arrived, if the inscriptions on their flags were anything to go by, from all corners of the Brit- ish Isles: Birmingham, Wigan, Tranmere, Lemington Spa and Ellesmere Port. Some shasa. Just as he never agreed to a rematch, were rather more creative, with a Stoke con- The only injury of England are unlikely to meet Italy again at Bra- tingent holding alof a banner reading ‘For- zil 2014 as the only way the two former World give me Delilah’ and ‘Stokies Here, Stokies Cup winners can square of once more is in the There’; a group from Wigston displaying a flag the day had Final on 13 July in Rio. Another fixture between reading ‘Where you’re smiling’, and some the two in Manaus is, regretably, even more Sheffield United supporters choosing ‘Blades improbable. Å up the Amazon’. nothing to do Yet the weather seemed to afect those in the stands as much as it did the players on the pitch. Only once was a heartfelt version of ‘God with the heat. save the Queen’ heard throughout the 90 minutes, belted out afer England had levelled the score at 1-1. The only injury of the day had nothing to do with the heat, however: team physio Gary Lewin celebrated England’s equaliser so fervently that he dislocated his ankle and had to be carried away on a stretcher. planned Transamazonica highway will almost Manaus will host two more group stage certainly be one of its victims and it is already matches: on Sunday USA face Portugal and on covered in undergrowth, having only been par- Wednesday Switzerland take on Honduras. tially completed. Visitors will then leave the city as swifly as In the original ‘rumble in the Jungle’ on 30 England’s group matches they arrived and the jungle will take over once October 1974, Ali knocked out Foreman in the Italy (lost 2-1), Uruguay (19 June),

Michael Regan/The FA/via Getty Images more, clawing back everything in its reach. The eighth round to regain the world title in Kin- Costa Rica (24 June)

THE FIFA WEEKLY 13 NEWS FROM THE TRAINING CAMPS

Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel watched Chile the game from the stands before joining her Win it for Schumi compatriots in the dressing room to celebrate, Chanting Chileans her red and white clothing a close match for Sarah Steiner is an editor at the national team’s colours. A selfie of Podol- on the march The FIFA Weekly ski posing with the Chancellor soon found its way onto the Internet as the celebrations JordÍ Punti is a novelist and the Some things are more impor- continued. A German footballing fairy tale author of many football features tant than football, even for a now appears well within their grasp. in the Spanish media. side heading into a crucial group-stage clash in the World Cup. With just The team slogan of “One country, one team, The buses used to ferry hours to go before their tournament opener one dream” underlines their intentions. Even national teams from one against Portugal, the German squad received Germany’s rivals are convinced they can go place to another at the 2014 FIFA World Cup the welcome news that countryman Michael far this summer. Diego Maradona revealed are each adorned with upbeat slogans, Schumacher had awoken from a coma. The to Venezuelan television that Die Mann- chosen by popular vote on the internet. seven-time Formula One world champion was schaf was close to perfection, while fellow Chile’s fans went for “Chi, chi, chi! Le, le, le! seriously injured last December while on a Argentinian Lionel Messi said that it was the Viva Chile!”, words of encouragement that skiing holiday and has spent most of the last best performance he had seen at the tourna- spur the players on every time they step on six months unconscious in a hospital in Greno- ment so far. R&B singer Rihanna also ex- board. For a nation that knows the verses of ble. The 45-year-old has now been taken to pressed her admiration on Twiter: “Germany Pablo Neruda off by heart, it can hardly be Switzerland where he will begin rehabilitation. is too real today.” described as a thought-provoking piece of poetry, but it has struck a chord with the The German players were all overjoyed at the Though quietly confident, the German squad fans for whom it is the chant of choice, one announcement, and none more so than Lukas remains firmly focused on the task in hand: that reflects the down-to-earth, joyful Podolski: “What wonderful news! Get well soon “It’s a good start, but we mustn’t get carried approach the Chile team is taking to this Schumi! I was absolutely delighted to hear the away,” said team manager Oliver Bierhof. World Cup. info.” The team remains hopeful that Michael Hat-trick hero Thomas Muller echoed his might be well enough to tune in to one or two sentiments: “We mustn’t act as if we’re the Hemmed in between the Andes and the of their matches in Brazil. “Winning would superior force here. We’ll have to do this all Pacific Ocean, and weighed down by the certainly be one way of bringing a smile to his over again in our next match.” pressure exerted in a geographical and face,” added the Polish-born striker. football-related sense by neighbouring There is a long way to go, but the future Argentina, Chile is a small country whose The news spurred the team on as they ran out looks brighter than it did this time last approach to the competition has not always 4-0 winners over Portugal in Group G, the week – both for the German national team been founded on reality. Part of the reason so-called “Group of Death”. Three strikes and Michael Schumacher. Å for that is the sense of expectation generated from Thomas Muller and a header by Mats by their run to the semi-finals in 1962, a Hummels sealed maximum points for the tournament they hosted and which ended for Germans in a game in which Cristiano Ronal- them with defeat by the Brazil of Garrincha do & Co were unable to halt their opponent’s Germany’s group matches and Vava. Since then qualification for the ruthless atacking display. Portugal (4-0), Ghana (21 June), USA (26 June) world finals has always been seen as a heroic act pointing to great victories when in actual fact all that lay in wait was even greater disappointment. Yet on this occasion, with the recent experience of South Africa 2010 under their belts, Chile appear to be feeling the pressure less. Four years ago, Marcelo Bielsa steered them to the Round of 16, where they once again fell to Brazil, this time 3-0. Qualifying for the world finals for a second time in a row has given La Roja some welcome stability as one of South America’s mid-ranking teams.

Though there are several factors involved in Chile’s new-found equilibrium, perhaps the most important is the role played by coach Jorge Sampaoli, an Argentinian like his predecessor. An advocate of Bielsa’s attacking, possession-based game and a passionate believer in football as a team sport, Sampaoli GettyImages

/ Football and politics “4-0 win! is a forceful character who makes himself Terriﬁc start!! And here’s a selﬁe with heard and has transmitted his infectious the Chancellor as promised!” tweeted Lukas Podolski from the enthusiasm to his players. “When I came on

dressing room. board I found a very hungry team,” he said Instagram Quinn Rooney

14 THE FIFA WEEKLY NEWS FROM THE TRAINING CAMPS

Heading for the crossbar Greece striker Gekas is unlucky not to score.

after his appointment. “It’s a very strong Valdivia, now with Palmeiras, is another such Greece group who have battled against adversity and case, as are Juventus duo Mauricio Isla and taken some criticism. They’re tough players.” Arturo Vidal and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo of Gekas out to make One way in which Sampaoli has made is mark Real Sociedad. is in restoring playmaker Jorge Valdivia to amends the national-team fold. One of five players The only headache for Sampaoli is what has handed lengthy bans in the wake of a been dubbed in Chile as “the Vidal soap Sven Goldmann is a leading much-publicised breach of discipline in 2011, opera”. The midfielder only just made the football correspondent for the Valdivia marked his rehabilitation with squad for Brazil 2014 after recovering from a Tagesspiegel newspaper in Berlin. Chile’s second goal in the 3-1 defeat of knee injury and his coach is anxious not to He is currently based in Brazil for Australia in their Group B opener. overwork him. The Juve man started against the World Cup. the Socceroos but was substituted after an Sampaoli also deserves credit for shaping a hour, a change greeted with a public display During his time in the Bundesliga, Theofanis squad that strikes a happy balance between of disgust by the player. Roja fans have no Gekas once explained why he had no desire to well-known exiles and the leading lights on such cause for complaint, however, sending learn German, declaring: “I’m being paid to the domestic scene. Chile have traditionally out their war cry of “Chi, chi, chi! Le, le, le!” score goals, not to speak.” Now aged 34, his exported quality players to Europe, only for as they eye a place in the second round. mastery of the former skill was sufficient for them to invariably fulfil secondary roles with Should they make it, there is every chance Fernando Manuel Costa Santos to include their clubs, while having to shoulder more they will once again meet Brazil, their him in Greece’s World Cup squad. responsibility when returning to the national eternal World Cup rivals. Å side. The most obvious example is their Following his side’s 3-0 defeat to Colombia on original boy wonder Alexis Sanchez, who matchday three, Gekas had some explaining impressed at Barcelona last season without to do at his team’s World Cup camp in the ever emerging from the shadows cast by north-eastern city of Aracaju. After all, it was Lionel Messi, Neymar and Andres Iniesta. In the Konyaspor striker who had the best the meantime, however, Sanchez has become chance to change the run of play. With the the focal point of the Chilean attack, scoring score at 2-0, the ball was floated in at the goals in quantity and setting them up too. perfect height for him to head into an open GettyImages

/ His strike against Australia made him his goal. Instead, Gekas somehow steered the country’s fourth-highest scorer of all time, ball onto the crossbar and was promptly with only Roja legends Marcelo Salas, Ivan Chile’s group matches substituted just moments later. After the

Instagram Quinn Rooney Zamorano and Carlos Caszely ahead of him. Australia (3-1), Spain (2-0), Netherlands (23 June) game, Santos had no problems finding the

THE FIFA WEEKLY 15 emirates.com Tomorrow brings us all closer To new people, new ideas and new states of mind. Here’s to reaching all the places we’ve never been.

Fly Emirates to 6 continents. NEWS FROM THE TRAINING CAMPS

words to describe his team’s performance, Nigeria larger than England's - has now set its sights grumbling: “It seemed some of the players firmly on World Cup success. had forgotten what kind of competition they A hard taskmaster were in.” Back in Aracaju, the missed oppor- The Super Eagles certainly have a hard tunity in Belo Horizonte was surely top of Alan Schweingruber is an editor taskmaster. Known for his emphasis on the post-match briefing. at The FIFA Weekly. He is currently discipline and structure, Keshi's decisions based in Brazil for the World Cup. ofen prove unpopular at first. When Elderson Gekas’ unconventional playing style meant Echiejile picked up a slight muscle injury that his inclusion in the national side was not A national coach needs the before the World Cup, Nigeria crossed its without controversy. Over 90 minutes, the backing of his employers to fingers for a quick recovery. The coach, former Bundesliga player rarely attracts build a team and achieve his long-term goals. though, decided to exclude the AS Monaco attention by making spectacular darting If he has a stable contract and is able to man from his squad and call up Ejike Uzoenyi runs or creating opportunities for his team- combine charisma with success, he may well instead. “We don’t have much time,” said mates. He does not run much and dislikes remain at the helm for years. Vicente del Keshi, who refused to entertain arguments breaking a sweat. Teams only continue to Bosque, who has been in charge of Spain that the injury may have healed within a field such players if they have something since 2008, is a prime example. fortnight. (Germany midfielder Sami Khedira, special, and in Gekas’ case, that something is who recovered from a cruciate ligament his ability to score goals. Del Bosque's fellow coach Stephen Keshi is injury in record time, would have probably clearly the adventurous type, having shrugged it of in under 48 hours.) The attacker has played for five clubs over accepted an ofer to take charge of the the past two years, none of which are chal- Nigerian football team back in 2011 despite However, their hopes of World Cup glory lenging for major silverware: Eintracht the precarious nature of the position. The were dented by Monday's goalless draw Frankfurt, Samsunspor, Levante, Akhisar Nigeria Football Federation had employed against Iran, a stalemate that leaves the Belediyespor and, most recently, Konyaspor. six coaches in the space of just four years Super Eagles with a mountain to climb as The World Cup offers him the ideal stage to - including big names such as Berti Vogts of they look to qualify for the knockout stages. showcase his skills and win the last major Germany and Lars Lagerback of Sweden – But if anyone can do it, it is the man who contract of his career. Å prior to his appointment. topped the group with Nigeria as a player at the 1994 World Cup, only to be knocked out Keshi is not a man to shy away from conflict. by Italy in the second round. Å Disagreements of opinion with his superiors have been a regular occurrence during his tenure, so much so that the powers that be in Nigeria wanted to fire him at one point, while the coach himself has also threatened to resign. Yet the former defender ensured his place in Nigerian football folklore by leading the country to glory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Greece’s group matches Nations. That victory set the bar high. The Nigeria’s group matches Colombia (lost 3-0), Japan (19 June), biggest nation in Africa - whose population of Iran (0-0), Bosnia-Herzegovina (21 June), Côte d’Ivoire (24 June) approximately 160 million is three times Argentina (25 June) Afp

Determined Stephen Keshi is focused on

Anesh Debiky leading Nigeria to glory.

THE FIFA WEEKLY 17 THE DEBATE

Appetite for goals

Flying Dutchman Robin van Persie made the score 1–1 against Spain (5-1) with a superb diving header.

The Dutch thrashed by hosts Brazil and the opening goal of the Scolari spoke of the importance of winning game from Croatia. the second group match, so as to make quali- world champions Spain The following day a turbocharged Neth- fying for the last sixteen a near certainty, but 5-1 and Germany beat erlands inflicted a 5–1 thrashing on world for all their determined atacking eforts, A champions Spain, and the Chileans defeated Seleção came up short. Portugal 4–0 as the Australia 3–1. Colombia and Costa Rica also However, it is probably safe to assume the World Cup opened with scored three against Greece and Uruguay re- teams will not suddenly abandon their appe- spectively, with the French posting the same tite for atacking tactics. That would appear a a glut of goals. tally against Honduras another day into the litle unrealistic afer the rip-roaring start to tournament. the tournament. The show must go on! Å Germany's 4–0 triumph against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co was yet another example of the Perikles Monioudis teams adopting full-on atack in their opening games, aiming to book places in the knockout ot for the first time, the build-up to the stages at the earliest possible opportunity. Opening Match at the World Cup was marked by media grumbling about the What next? likelihood of a bore draw. It has become We may well see a diferent patern in the near habitual for the first game at the second round of matches, as suggested by global showdown to end in a goalless what happened to Brazil. Still on a high from Nstalemate or a dour victory by only one goal. their opening day victory, the hosts ran out

Not so for the opening encounter at Brazil 2014. against stubborn Mexico and their in-form, The weekly debate. Reuters

acrobatic keeper Guillermo Ochoa. Neymar Anything you want to get off your Attack from the off and Co failed to breach the Mexican defence chest? Which topics do you want to When the action started for real, the Sao as the match ended goalless. discuss? Send your suggestions to:

Paulo crowd was treated to four goals, three Afer opening with a victory, coach Felipe feedback-theweekly@fifa.org Fabrizio Bensch

18 T H E F I FA W E E K LY THE DEBATE PRESIDENTIAL NOTE

In this issue, FIFA.com users share their views on the World Cup’s opening week.

Applause for Chile! The way they approach I feel really sorry for the Aussies, they the game against the world champion team should go through with the Dutch. First like Spain. half they really had the upper hand. Shame SArbabAhmed, Pakistan they don’t have the brilliance of van Gaal as I knew the second half would turn out to be Awseome goal, awesome player and a team Orange. But, my dear Australians, you have A thrilling that would not give up! We will be back in lost to the new world champions and you 2018 and teams will know they are in a made them run for their title. Hats of, shame attacking spectacle football match. Well done Australia you all you’ll bow out. I hope a win over Spain will be played the game! the icing on your cake and you are a force to ogo bonito! It’s the phrase that summed up skycrazy, Australia be reckoned with in 2018! all our hopes and expectations in the dutchy1975, Great Britain J build-up to the World Cup. And now we’re experiencing just that - the beautiful game This is the end of a golden era and hopefully being played to perfection, with thrilling at- this is a beginning of a new one as well. You tacking, a wealth of variety, and the courage guys are true champions and I have staunch to be creative. “Congrats Chile faith in you and your teammates that you will There was much speculation that the high play the last match versus Australia full temperatures and special conditions in Brazil heartedly with your head held high. People could put a damper on matches. Instead, we’re start worrying and rumouring that tiki-taka seeing the exact opposite. Coaches are pre- for the victory.” might vanish from the future Spanish squad pared to take risks and give their creative play- due to the change of Barcelona-based players ers free rein. The corset of strict tactical disci- as well as their playing style. However, I pline has been lef in the dressing room. In sincerely believe the new golden generation contrast to four years ago in South Africa the Congrats Chile for the victory. But do not will rise soon. I hope to witness a stronger teams are not prepared to setle for draws. They take rest. Just because you qualified for the Spain national team in the Euro 2016. Last are playing to win with no conditions atached. next round does not mean everything is but not least, thank you guys for all the hard Robin van Persie’s diving header to level the achieved. Make sure you beat Holland in work, I will never forget the brilliant, splendid scores at 1-1 against Spain was worth the trip to order to avoid Brazil next round who are and remarkable football La Roja have brought Brazil on its own. This is the kind of diving we poised to win the group. us in the past few years and I wish all of you want to see – and only this kind. steve201081, India the best of luck in your future life. This free-thinking atacking play is also luckyfish81, Malaysia due in part to the composition of the teams and Fennecs, follow the example set by Australia developments in technique. Exceptional play- - or Costa Rica or even Chile! Atack is the Even if you guys do not make it, you guys ers such as Neymar, Messi, Van Persie, Robben best form of defence. Give everything! Be have done Africa proud. You guys played and Muller cannot be kept on a tight leash. yourselves! Play like you do in your own well and should be proud of yourselves. They represent an increasingly complete gen- leagues! We want to see football. We want to Ghana will beat Germany and Portugal and eration of players . Today’s goalscorers are not see passion and spirit. move on to the next round. simply out-and-out strikers. They shape the wahrane, France YeyeEagles, USA play from atacking midfield positions. The first 12 matches alone in Brazil yielded 41 goals, an average of 3.42 per game. If this rhythm were to be maintained through to the Final, the fans would be celebrating 219 times, a new record! The first week of the World Cup has exceed- ed all expectations. And the best thing of all is “Attack is the best form that the climax is still to come. Viva Brazil! Reuters

of defence.” /

Fabrizio Bensch Best wishes, Sepp Blater

THE FIFA WEEKLY 19 First Love

20 T H E F I FA W E E K LY Place: Oran, Algeria Date: 4 April 2013 Time: 6.28 p.m.

Nick Hannes / laif THE FIFA WEEKLY 21

FREE KICK FIFA 11

Players with the most World Cup appearances

Lothar Mathaus: 25 appearances 1 Team: West Germany, Germany Minutes played: 2047 World Cups: 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998

Paolo Maldini: 23 appearances 2 Team: Italy Minutes played: 2217 World Cups: 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002

Uwe Seeler: 21 appearances 3 Team: West Germany Minutes played: 1980 A girl called Fifa World Cups: 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 Diego Maradona: 21 appearances Team: Argentina Thomas Renggli Cafu and – last but not least – Pele. By contrast, Minutes played: 1938 whoever gave current Brazil international Hulk World Cups: 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 ou can open just about any door in Brazil his name neglected his responsibilities some- with just a few words of broken Portu- what. He evidently chose to make use of the Wladyslaw Zmuda, 21 appearances guese. A Bom dia (good morning) at the Brazilian right of complete freedom when it Team: Poland breakfast table will guarantee that the comes to choosing a name, and what he came Minutes played: 1807 day begins with a smile. You can go for up with is a reasonably common word, or at World Cups: 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986 a shorter greeting and say Oi (hello) or, least appears in a dictionary. Similarly, you will Ywhen you raise a glass, Saude (cheers) is always find a man in Brazil who goes by the name of Grzegorz Lato: 20 appearances a good option. Finally, if in doubt, it never Oceano Indico Pacifico – Indian Pacific Ocean. 6 Team: Poland hurts to say Obrigado (thank you). For parents with a love of all things German, Minutes played: 1800 You will never hear these linguistic ice - the first name Müller is extremely popular World Cups: 1974, 1978, 1982 breakers on the radio, however. Brazilian re- (although that might change during the course porters have a tiny margin for error when it of this tournament), and the most supersti- Cafu: 20 appearances comes to describing the course and intensity tious can even take a number. Um Dois Três is Team: Brazil of a football match. It is only a pass back to the actually a man’s name, not the title of a Brazil- Minutes played: 1638 keeper or a throw-in taken by the defending ian children’s television programme. World Cups: 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 team that is transmited at a normal tone. As is ofen the case in Brazil in November, With every metre that the ball comes closer to a baby boom is anticipated as a consequence Berti Vogts: 19 appearances goal, the volume of the commentator’s voice of the carnival in the spring. Brazilians will 8 Team: West Germany builds like a crescendo. As the players edge have nine months to use their imaginations Minutes played: 1770 closer to the opposition penalty area, the pow- when choosing baby names, and if a recent World Cups: 1970, 1974, 1978 er of his commentary borders on painful, and survey conducted on the Copacabana beach is when the ball hits the back of the net, it is time anything to go by, there could be many a new- Wolfgang Overath: 19 appearances to reach for the earplugs, or kill the volume on born in Brazil with as unusual a football-in- Team: West Germany the radio: Goooooooooool!!! spired name as you are likely to find. The girl’s Minutes played: 1764 The intensity and rhythm of commentary name that appeared top of the list was none World Cups: 1966, 1970, 1974 varies depending on nationality and the num- other than Fifa. Å ber of vowels to be found in team names. A Ronaldo: 19 appearances European commentator’s vocal chords may Team: Brazil manage to uter Bélgica, but the dam breaks Minutes played: 1623 completely for Cooooostaaaaa Riiiiicaaaaa. World Cups: 1998, 2002, 2006 Still, perhaps that is appropriate. Who would have thought the Central American minnows Miroslav Klose: 19 appearances would even score a goal at this World Cup? Team: Germany It seems to be a great concern of Brazilian Minutes played: 1511 parents to ensure that their sons can eventual- World Cups: 2002, 2006, 2010 ly become key protagonists in sporting theatre. No commentator declines an opportunity to flex his oral muscles on names like Marcelinho, Source: FIFA Paulinho, Ronaldinho and Robinho, nor to The weekly column by our staff (FIFA World Cup, Milestones & Super- make a disyllabic homage to their heroes: Zico, writers latives, Statistical Kit, 12/05/2014)

THE FIFA WEEKLY 23 RUSSIA

Shouting for joy Alexander Kerzhakov celebrates his equaliser in Russia’s 1-1 group match draw with Korea Republic.

The sleeping giant Russia might be overshadowed by the favourites at this summer’s World Cup, but their 1-1 draw with Korea Republic hinted at their potential.

Thomas Renggli, Rio de Janeiro footballing need and field a team that can The botom line is that although Russia challenge for the most important title in the scored a point, they will be well aware that they ith 140 million inhabitants, nine time sport. The Sbornaya have not yet begun to need to improve considerably if they want to zones and an even greater plethora of mount that challenge in Brazil, never finding avoid going home afer the group stages as they ethnic groups, the nation sandwiched their rhythm against a persistent Korea Re- did in their past three appearances at the between Western Europe and the Far public side and threatening to drif of course World Cup finals in 1990, 1994 and 2002. East is as diverse, unfathomable and afer a crucial error from goalkeeper Igor Ahead of the team’s matches against Bel- fascinating as an entire continent. Akinfeev put them 1-0 down. Fortunately, gium on Sunday and Algeria next Thursday, WWhile Russia continues to stake its claim as a coach Fabio Capello proved he was up to the Capello will be asking himself two major ques- global power, it is making similarly significant task by bringing on Russia’s top scorer in tions. Firstly, can he aford to leave his goalscor- strides in the world of sport. Afer the Olympic qualifying, Alexander Kerzhakov, in the 71st er on the substitutes’ bench? And secondly, Games in Sochi back in February, the next pres- minute. Just five minutes later, he scored the how can he best avoid further problems in tigious sporting event on the country’s agenda equaliser. “Kerzhakov is a fantastic player, goal? Even before his critical mistake, Akin- is the 2018 FIFA World Cup. At “Russia House” and always good for a goal,” said Capello of feev was more risk than rock, leting practical- Keystone

Keystone in Rio de Janeiro, the Russian Football Union his substitute’s performance. “It wasn’t easy ly every ball rebound of him. Capello has al- / is showcasing its cultural and culinary assets. for our team afer conceding that goal, but ready had his fair share of experience with In just four years’ time, the world’s largest the players reacted well. In that respect, we error-prone goalkeepers during his spell as

country will also be required to fulﬁl every can be satisﬁed.” England manager. Felipe Dana Alexey Filippov

24 THE FIFA WEEKLY RUSSIA

Wrapped up in national pride Russian fans in Cuiaba.

Understandably, the Italian was keen to Lokomotiv are funded by Russian Railways turn his mind to more positive maters in Russia’s domestic (RZD), Zenit by Gazprom, Dynamo by VTB Brazil, saying: “Our team are very technical- Bank and Spartak by oil company Lukoil. Only ly adept and have a lot of quality. Creativity at former Red Army club CSKA has the owner- and inspiration are our strengths.” Despite championship has ship situation changed, with Chelsea owner his team’s faltering start, the Round of 16 Roman Abramovich initially providing finan- remains the minimum target for Capello, in cial support before Bashkir oil company Bash- no small part due to his side’s impressive per- laid the foundation nef became their primary sponsor. Recent formances in qualifying. Afer failing to reports have suggested the club is now financ- reach the World Cup finals in 2006 and 2010, ing itself, but there is plenty of room for inter- Russia qualified for Brazil as group winners, for the national pretation in this statement, particularly as consigning Portugal to the play-ofs in the present club owner Yevgeni Giner is a close process afer a 1-0 home win in Moscow in confidant of Abramovich. which Kerzhakov scored the only goal. “The team’s rise. Nevertheless, multi-billionaire Abramovich fact that we lef one of the strongest Europe- is currently keeping out of Russian club foot- an teams in our wake shows how much pro- ball. He recently pumped approximately €150 gress we’ve made,” Capello pointed out. Russian football at such a pace that even Eu- million into the system via his National Foot- rope’s biggest leagues can no longer keep up. ball Academy, financing around 130 new foot- The rise of the Russian league The balance of sporting power is still rem- ball pitches and optimising the country’s youth Russia’s domestic championship has laid the iniscent of that of the former Soviet Union, development programmes in the process, and foundation for the rise of the country’s nation- with CSKA Moscow sealing last season’s also helped to finance former Russia national al team – financially, logistically and structur- championship title ahead of Zenit St. Peters- coach Guus Hiddink’s €5 million net salary. ally. In economic terms, the Russian Premier burg, Lokomotiv Moscow and Dynamo Mos- League is already one of the top leagues world- cow. Of Russia’s old footballing powers, only Enticing fresh perspectives wide. It is no coincidence that the Russian Spartak Moscow sufered a poor season, fin- In 2006, the Dutchman’s appointment trig- Keystone

Keystone Football Union is sending the only team to the ishing in sixth place. gered one of the most important turning /

World Cup ﬁnals made up entirely of players Russia’s new money aristocracy has made points in the history of Russian football, as who ply their trade in their home country. Ru- this surge in fortunes possible. Now, as before, the sport turned away from homegrown

Felipe Dana Alexey Filippov bles and petrodollars have been ﬂowing into state-controlled corporations play a major role: coaches and opened itself up to new systems

THE FIFA WEEKLY 25 “The Russian people respect me”

Fabio Capello has won prety much everything there is to win in club football. Now the 68-year-old Italian has set his sights on leading the Russian national team to success.

I have to deal with conﬁdential maters, I tend to consult a friend.

Name How much do the Russian people respect Fabio Capello you? Date and place of birth A lot. I really appreciate their respect 18 June 1946, San Canzian and it makes me happy. I can also sense d’Isonzo, Italy the excitement at the prospect of Russia Clubs as a player hosting the 2018 World Cup. Ferrara, AS Roma, Juventus, AC Milan What have you seen of Russia? Teams as a coach Russia is a very diverse country. AC Milan, Real Madrid, AS Roma, Juventus, England, I’ve visited a lot of cities and I was very Russia impressed. The country is currently Major honours undergoing development in many areas. Four Italian Serie A titles (as a player), ﬁve Italian Serie A titles, two Spanish La Liga In a nutshell, what does the World Cup titles, one Champions League mean to you? title (as a coach) Every World Cup is unique. It’s a wonderful competition. Success depends on a wide range of factors: the physical condition of the players, tactics, etc. I believe that the players’ mentality is the most important aspect, because if they’re not 100 per cent ready to perform, tour- naments can be really tough going.

Just how important is it to prepare well? Good preparations are of the utmost importance. It starts with the choice of your World Cup base. It’s really important for me to see and assess in advance the Mr Capello, what do you think of the the last two years. We overcame a tough pitches, the training facilities, the cities Russian national team? qualifying group that included Portugal and and even the hotels. Fabio Capello: My squad is one of the are now taking part in our first World Cup oldest at this World Cup, but in terms of finals since 2002. Fabio Capello was speaking technical ability, I think it's really good. My to Alan Schweingruber players also demonstrate a lot of creativity There were other job offers on the table too. on the pitch. They play good football. What made you decide to choose Russia? I wanted a new experience. The lan- You’ve been working in Russia for two years guage, the country and the lifestyle are all now. What’s been your biggest challenge very exciting. That’s why I chose Russia. so far? At the time when I took up the post as How much of a challenge is it for you not head coach of Russia, the fans were angry speaking Russian? with the players. The poor display at the The language barrier can prove prob- European Championship in Poland and lematic. I always work with interpreters at Ukraine had taken its toll. For me, one of the training camps, but some ideas are the biggest challenges was to convince the quite difficult to convey. Sometimes you Afp

/ supporters to look forward rather than really need to be able to ﬁnd the right back. Ultimately, we’re trying to build words, to generate a good atmosphere, for something here and we’ve been able to example. It helps having some players who accomplish that together over the course of speak English and Spanish. But when KirillKudryavtsev

26 THE FIFA WEEKLY RUSSIA

and ideas. No expense has been spared in the Pavlyuchenko and Yury Zhirkov guided their found a way to get through to his players. pursuit of progress: with an salary of €8.29 team to the semi-final with an almost Brazilian And if there is one thing he knows very well million, Capello is the highest-paid coach at flair. Only eventual champions Spain were able from his own experience, it is this: as long as this summer’s World Cup. to halt their progress in the competition. he keeps bringing on the right substitutes, Capitalism caught up with Russian foot- In Brazil, Capello is relying on four players his communication skills will never be called ball long ago, but the Russian Football Union who were part of that remarkable campaign: into question. In football, goals are worth has also aligned its domestic championship Zhirkov, Ignashevich, Beresutskiy and Akin- more than any words. Å with those in the West. Until 2010, the league feev. Despite this, many the country’s biggest ran from March to November, but the system names are missing from the squad, and captain has since been adjusted, and this year the title Roman Shirokov was forced to miss the World was awarded in May for the second time. This Cup afer sustaining a knee injury in Russia’s gives Russian clubs the same schedule as their 2-0 World Cup warm-up win against Morocco. rivals from Europe’s top five leagues when en- Nevertheless, Capello remains optimistic: tering European club competitions. “When I took this job in 2012, people were frus- The issue of Russia’s relationship with trated about Russia’s exit from the European Ukraine is currently gripping world politics Championship,” he explained. “It was very im- and has also been a decisive factor in the coun- portant to first work through this chapter be- try’s football history. During the Soviet era, fore looking forward and starting completely Dynamo Kiev was at the heart of the nation’s afresh. And we managed it.” footballing culture. A majority of the players in the Soviet Union side that reached the final Language barriers of UEFA EURO 1988 hailed from Ukraine, with As part of this process of coming to terms only three Russians in the team. with the past, the Italian has also had to over- Since then the balance of power has shif- come linguistic barriers. As he does not speak ed, and Russia now outperforms its neighbour Russian, Capello communicates to his team in on the football pitch. CSKA Moscow and Zenit the dressing room via an interpreter. “That’s St. Petersburg caused a sensation by winning the biggest difficulty,” he says. “It’s difficult to the Europa League in 2005 and 2008 respec- translate feelings and emotions.” Despite tively. Russia’s national side almost pulled of these issues the 68-year-old, who won numer- Russia’s group matches a major coup at EURO 2008 when exceptional ous trophies as a club coach with Real Madrid Korea Republic (drew 1-1), Belgium (22 June), players such as Andrey Arshavin, Roman and above all with AC Milan, appears to have Algeria (26 June) Afp

Stretching in Sao Paulo Capello guides Russia through

KirillKudryavtsev their training.

THE FIFA WEEKLY 27 Trim: 210mm 19mm Safety: 19mm Safety: Trim: 210mm

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USAGE Usage is (12) months unlimited WORLDWIDE use in all print and electronic mediums, including but not limited to: consumer and trade print/digital advertising, Out of Home, retail/wholesale, POS, collateral, industrial, PR/events, video, internal, textbook, and online/digital/new electronic media. Andres Kudacki/Keystone “M T “Muller”. A second “Messi” enters the fray. He He fray. the enters “Messi” second A “Muller”. li to telling-o a gets returned Mini-Muller pockets. are smartphones v and Germany of Portugal coverage live the from themselves away drag They situation. the of ity grav the appreciate finally wannabes perstar su the of fathers the point which at buckets, weeping still foul? “Ronaldo” is a was thatsurely And praise. of recipient the normally he’s like not It’s face. his on look confused a with turns “Muller” “Yay!! Muller!” touchlines: there’s notand abrawl, refereea in in sight.end could This knock. a en themof and pair “Ronaldo” the starts crying,tackles as slide he’s tak “Müller” possession. knocks the first “Messi” o stars, youstars, know it must be the World Cup. a new era for a new-look national team Spanish and perhaps aaheralded newnew – interpretation worldbut certainly of Å champion. tiki-taka of beginning the marked also whistle over months,final the change coming the likely will team’s on Given Spanish the names the that shirts nation. a game the concluded t le “Ronaldo” words of consolation. of words “Ronaldo” le La Roja World Cup but in Brazil the also end of an 2014era for the at match a sidegroupSpanish second that has captivated their the of world style endfor its with the tiki-taka years. What only notlies ahead for signalled Chile defeatby2-0 Spain’s champions defending sealed that whistle final he When dads ignore their lads in favour of the the of favour in lads their ignore dads When the from encouragement loud is There down from behind, closely followed by by followed closely behind, from down him chases “Ronaldo” dribble. mazy a essi” collects a loose ball and sets o a f er their premature exit at the World Cup group stage? There was no immediate answer to this question as refereeAmerican Mark Geiger f er six minutes of injury time, but one thing was immediately clear: this year’s World Cup Trophy will be li be will Trophy WorldCup year’s this clear: immediately was thing one but time, injury of minutes six er f the ball and claims claims and ball the Sarah Steiner Sarah f Å , and and , f on - - - T me a sport in which everyone takes part, and and part, takes everyone which in sport a me beco have to colours the devotion and loyalty ostentatious edition, At this supermodels. like act to tendency a developed since long have it’s carnival time in Rio. Å Rio. in time carnival it’s but winter, be may It stars. rediscovered have can be Messi for an a anyone World of experience: the Cup part tral evenbefore, role-playing abeencen this has if not 2006, since And kit. right the of wearing conscious fan community shares the sheer joy maidens sporting a Neymar look. The fashion- Brazilian young meet They Messi. Lionel idol Argentinian diminutive and of lithe name the stu their strut uninhibitedshowo ofparade a at marvel can oneCopacabana,legendary the from far not Rio, in Carvalho de Ronald Rua on evening Every control. lity there is seemingly very li football stars who are on the catwalk. Fans Fans on catwalk. who are the stars football the necessarily not it's but show, fashion a like feel occasionally can Cup World he f in XXL replica shirts bearing bearing shirts replica XXL in f f s. Robust young fellows fellows young Robust s. ernoon. The grass roots roots The grass ernoon. t le in the way of qua Roland Zorn Roland - - -

T celebrate Neymar, the rebirth of rebirth the Neymar, celebrate Brazilians The yellow. of expanses vast only enthusiasm of sweeps wave everyone The along. There not. are no is grey areas, lungs your at but the singing top banned are of Vuvuzelas beer. of visitors joys the and Dutch Persie Van Robben, the hail while Caipirinhas, sells fan will be in the next life. Å life. next the in be will fan a be to time enjoyable more A one. into rolled carnival a and karaoke a party, like birthday is kid’s beach famous most world’s the on Cup World the at Being happy. you makes na Copacaba The time. right the just at whistles ma screens, giant on played dis are anthems national the to words The crown. world sixth a prematurely, rather and, on the beach of dreams. A fast-moving vendor vendor fast-moving A dreams. of beach the on World Cup dream It the is horizon. on the tain Moun Sugarloaf and toes your between sand is playing on loop, and the Japanese ref ref Japanese the and loop, on playing is time of the year, with the sun on your face, face, on your sun the with year, of the time coldest the for passes what in place take he ho t est football parties in Rio de Janeiro parties est football THE FIFA WEEKLY The Girl From Ipane From Girl The MY WORLD CUP Perikles Monioudis Perikles Thomas Renggli Thomas f ed by another another by ed Jogo Bonito Jogo 29 - - - -

Name Davor Suker Date and place of birth 1 January 1968, Osijek, Yugoslavia Position Striker Height 1.83m Clubs played for 1984–1989 Osijek 1989–1991 Dinamo Zagreb 1991–1996 Sevilla 1996–1999 Real Madrid 1999–2000 Arsenal 2000–2001 West Ham United 2001–2003 1860 Munich International career 1990–1991 Yugoslavia 1992–2002 Croatia Selected honours 1996 UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament 1997 La Liga (Real Madrid) 1998 Champions League (Real Madrid) 1998 World Cup adidas Golden Boot 1998 Ballon d’Or, 2nd place 2004 Named in the FIFA 100 Keystone

Igor Kralj

30 T H E F I FA W E E K LY THE INTERVIEW

“I still want to be out there winning matches”

Croatian Football Federation President Davor Suker was part of the exceptional team that fnished third at the 1998 World Cup in France. The FIFA Weekly asked the 46-year-old former world-class striker about retirement and the state of Croatian football today.

Mr Suker, you are currently the President of Croatian footballing history here with them. national side to ensure players and teams the Croatian Football Federation. What’s your receive the right support as they develop. team’s approach for this World Cup? That’s the history lesson, but how is everyday Davor Suker: Our national team is made life for you? What does a world-class striker Is that also true of the women’s teams? up of players who enjoy playing football. like you miss most about football after retire- Yes. We’re currently investing in the U-17, We want to savour the World Cup, with its ment? U-19 and senior women’s teams. We’ve also excellent infrastructure and organisation, Whenever I watch a match, I long to be got new headquarters and we’re planning a and intend to play beautiful football. part of it. I want to make my mark on the training facility for our national sides. UEFA We’re proud to be able to take part in the game and be out there on the pitch, winning and FIFA are providing invaluable assistance World Cup, and we’re proud of all our fans matches. I’ve always been a huge football fan, with that. Afer that, we’ll build four regional who appreciate atractive football. Croatia is but today I sit in the stands in the President’s camps across Croatia. a sporting nation. Being here is vital for our chair or in a directors’ box. These days I help game and also important for keeping Croa- football in a diferent way. I promote it and From a completely neutral and purely sporting tian football up there with the best in the work hard for the U-15, U-17, U-19 teams and perspective, is there a team at this World Cup world. so on to ensure they reach European Champi- you would particularly love to be part of? onships and World Cups. (laughs) I’d play for my country. I’d even Your team were right in it until you went 3-1 pay to be able to get out on the pitch with the down against Brazil in the opening match. And you’ve been been a success so far. lads here! What did we have to lose? The only way We’re very proud of the fact that our U-17 we could win was by giving the best possible side has qualified for the World Cup and Davor Suker was speaking to account of ourselves. The matches against European Championships and our U-18 and Perikles Monioudis in Sao Paulo Cameroon (4-0) and Mexico will both be like U-20 teams have qualified for the World Cup. finals for us. My players will give 150 per cent. We’re investing in our young players and organising lots of matches for them. We don’t The same could be said of you when you were have a large infrastructure but the EU, UEFA a player. At the 1998 World Cup, Croatia and FIFA give us plenty of support, and I finished third and you won the adidas Golden thank FIFA for that. Infrastructure projects Boot. What do you make of Croatia’s current are our next big priority. internationals? Although my generation achieved our And structural changes too. country’s best World Cup result to date, Yes. Atendances in our ten-team league I hope the current team goes just as far, have doubled compared to the previous if not further. We have some very talented 16-team league. I’d advise every country with players and a good coach in Niko Kovac, a population of between five and ten million all of which means we have excellent poten- to reduce its league to ten teams. tial in this tournament. Back in 1998 – that golden year of Croatian football – players like What other critical areas have you identified? Modric, Rakitic, Srna and Mandzukic were It’s very important to teach teamwork, Keystone

/ probably watching us play, and now they’re and continuity is vital too. We’ve got special- Croatia’s group matches here themselves. It’s so great to have players ists working with us on every transition from Brazil (lost 3-1), Cameroon (4-0),

Igor Kralj of that calibre in our team and to be a part of U-17, U-19, U-21, all the way up to the senior Mexico (23 June)

THE FIFA WEEKLY 31 MIRROR IMAGE THEN

Adidas football boots with screw-in studs

1954 World Cup

“The Miracle of Bern”: West Germany defeated clear favourites Hungary 3-2 in the World Cup Final. The German players had signiﬁcantly greater stability on the muddy pitch thanks to their state-of-the-art football boots. Pictured above is the lef boot of captain Fritz Walter. Adidas Adidas

32 T H E F I FA W E E K LY MIRROR IMAGE NOW

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2014 World Cup

Lightweight: this boot, styled to complement the colours of Argentina’s kit, weighs just 165 grams and bears the name of four-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi. Adidas Adidas

THE FIFA WEEKLY 33 FIFA WORLD RANKING → http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/index.html

Ranking 01 / 2014 02 / 2014 03 / 2014 04 / 2014 05 / 2014 06 / 2014 Rank Team Change in ranking Points 1 1 Spain 0 1485

2 Germany 0 1300 -41 3 Brazil 1 1242 -83 4 Portugal -1 1189 5 Argentina 2 1175 -125 6 Switzerland 2 1149 -167 7 Uruguay -1 1147 -209 8 1137 Colombia -3 Top spot Biggest climber Biggest faller 9 Italy 0 1104 10 England 1 1090 11 Belgium 1 1074 78 Bulgaria -5 425 144 Madagascar 45 182 12 Greece -2 1064 79 Oman 3 420 146 Korea DPR -9 175 13 USA 1 1035 80 FYR Macedonia 0 419 147 Maldives 6 171 14 Chile -1 1026 81 Jamaica 0 411 148 Gambia -14 166 15 Netherlands 0 981 82 Belarus 1 397 149 Kyrgyzstan -3 163 16 Ukraine 1 915 83 Azerbaijan 2 396 149 Thailand -6 163 17 France -1 913 84 Congo DR 4 395 151 Antigua and Barbuda -9 158 18 Croatia 2 903 85 Congo 7 393 152 Belize -8 152 19 Russia -1 893 86 Uganda 0 390 153 Malaysia -8 149 20 Mexico -1 882 87 Benin 10 386 154 India -7 144 21 Bosnia-Herzegovina 4 873 88 Togo 1 383 155 Singapore -8 141 22 Algeria 3 858 89 Gabon -2 382 156 Guyana -5 137 23 Denmark 0 809 90 Northern Ireland -6 381 157 Indonesia -5 135 23 Côte d'Ivoire -2 809 90 Saudi Arabia -15 381 158 Puerto Rico -9 134 25 Slovenia 4 800 92 Botswana -1 375 159 Myanmar 14 133 26 Ecuador 2 791 93 Angola 1 364 160 St Kitts and Nevis -7 124 27 Scotland -5 786 94 Palestine 71 358 161 Tahiti -4 122 28 Costa Rica 6 762 95 Cuba -5 354 162 Liechtenstein -12 118 29 Romania 3 761 96 Georgia 7 349 163 Hong Kong -5 112 30 Serbia 0 745 97 New Zealand 14 347 164 Pakistan -5 102 31 Panama 4 743 98 Estonia -5 343 164 Nepal -5 102 32 Sweden -7 741 99 Zimbabwe -1 340 166 Montserrat 22 99 33 Honduras -3 731 100 Qatar -5 339 167 Bangladesh -5 98 34 Czech Republic 2 724 101 Moldova -2 334 168 Laos 5 97 35 Turkey 4 722 102 Equatorial Guinea 11 333 169 Dominica -6 93 36 Egypt -12 715 103 China PR -7 331 170 Barbados -9 92 37 Ghana 1 704 104 Iraq -4 329 171 Faroe Islands -7 89 38 Armenia -5 682 105 Central African Republic 1 321 172 São Tomé e Príncipe -5 86 39 Cape Verde Islands 3 674 106 Lithuania -2 319 173 Swaziland 5 85 40 Venezuela 1 672 107 Ethiopia -6 317 174 Comoros 10 84 41 Wales 6 644 108 Kenya -2 296 175 Bermuda -6 83 42 Austria -2 643 109 Latvia 0 293 176 Nicaragua -8 78 43 Iran -6 641 110 Bahrain -5 289 176 Chinese Taipei -6 78 44 Nigeria 0 640 110 Canada 0 289 178 Guam -7 77 45 Peru -3 627 112 Niger -10 284 179 Sri Lanka -6 73 46 Japan 1 626 113 Tanzania 9 283 180 Solomon Islands -8 70 47 Hungary -2 624 114 Namibia 6 277 181 Seychelles -5 66 48 Tunisia 1 612 115 Kuwait -7 276 182 Curaçao -5 65 49 Slovakia -3 591 116 Liberia 3 271 183 Yemen -4 61 50 Paraguay 5 575 116 Rwanda 15 271 184 Mauritius -4 57 51 Montenegro 3 574 118 Mozambique -4 269 185 South Sudan 16 47 52 Iceland 6 566 119 Luxembourg -7 267 186 Bahamas 0 40 52 Guinea -1 566 120 Sudan -3 254 187 Mongolia 0 35 54 Sierra Leone 17 565 120 Aruba 35 254 188 Fiji -6 34 55 Norway 0 562 122 Malawi 0 247 189 Samoa -6 32 56 Cameroon -6 558 123 Vietnam -7 242 190 Cambodia 0 28 57 Mali 2 547 124 Kazakhstan -6 241 190 Vanuatu -10 28 57 Korea Republic -2 547 125 Lebanon -11 233 192 Brunei Darussalam -1 26 59 Uzbekistan -6 539 126 Tajikistan -5 229 192 Timor-Leste -1 26 60 Burkina Faso 1 538 127 Guatemala -3 226 192 Tonga -1 26 61 Finland -9 532 128 Burundi -3 221 195 US Virgin Islands -1 23 62 Australia -3 526 129 Philippines 11 217 196 Cayman Islands -1 21 63 Jordan 1 510 130 Afghanistan -2 215 196 Papua New Guinea -1 21 64 Libya -2 498 131 Dominican Republic -5 212 198 British Virgin Islands -1 18 65 South Africa 0 496 132 Malta -4 204 198 American Samoa -1 18 66 Albania 4 495 133 St Vincent and the Grenadines -7 203 200 Andorra -1 16 67 Bolivia 1 483 134 Guinea-Bissau 50 201 201 Eritrea -1 11 68 El Salvador 1 481 134 Chad 31 201 202 Somalia 0 8 69 Poland 3 474 136 Suriname -5 197 202 Macau 0 8 70 Republic of Ireland -4 473 137 Mauritania 2 196 204 Djibouti 0 6 71 Trinidad and Tobago 3 470 137 St Lucia -4 196 205 Cook Islands 0 5 72 United Arab Emirates -5 460 139 Lesotho 2 194 206 Anguilla 0 3 73 Haiti 4 452 140 New Caledonia -2 190 207 Bhutan 0 0 74 Senegal -11 451 140 Syria -6 190 207 San Marino 0 0 75 Israel 3 444 142 Cyprus -12 189 207 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 0 76 Zambia 3 441 143 Turkmenistan 13 183 77 Morocco -1 439 144 Grenada -8 182

34 THE FIFA WEEKLY Name TURNING POINT David da Costa Date and place of birth 19 April 1986, Zurich “Football is Position Goalkeeper Clubs 80 per cent 2005–2008 FC Zurich U-21 2007–2008 Chiasso 2008–2009 Concordia Basel 2009–2010 Chiasso, Wohlen mental – the 2010–2012 Thun since 2012 FC Zurich rest is talent”

Swiss Portuguese goalkeeper David da Costa progressed from being a rough diamond to establishing himself as goalkeeper at the top-fight club he has supported since childhood.

identify much more strongly with my em- ployer than the average employee. As a child, I was a dedicated FC Zurich fan and hardly ever missed a home game. The idea of being able to play for the club at the highest level was just a dream for me, but II got there in the end. I’m proud of that, and the fans are proud of me. In that respect, my background brings added pressure, as I don’t ever want to disappoint them. I know exactly how the fans feel, so I take time for them and try to sign every autograph and pose for every photograph I can, because it wasn’t so long ago that I was in their position. I’ve still got auto- graphs at home from players and coaches that I ended up working with. unhealthy food. Aferwards I realised that I’d The third turning point in my life has to Despite having a deep connection with the been making all kinds of mistakes and wasn’t be meeting my wife, Daniela. We met back fans, I’ve had to try to distance myself from as disciplined and consistent as a professional in 2006, and became parents to a son a year them. At the end of the day, I’m a professional should be. Today I know how litle it takes to ago. Nelio has changed my life all over again. – and therefore a role model. But I’m a direct put an end to your whole career. Nowadays, I go to bed at 11pm instead of 1am, person and I like to speak my mind, and that I played for Switzerland at youth level, but and afer matches my active recovery involves has occasionally got me into trouble. back then the coach didn’t see me as a poten- walking my son in his pushchair. My appetite There have been several turning points in tial professional; instead he saw a player who for parties has lessened a litle too. Afer my career. One key moment was my first move, was too easily distracted. My dream is to play winning the Swiss Championship in 2007 we which took me from FC Zurich to Chiasso in for a national team one day, whether that be partied until 9am the next morning, but afer the Challenge League. I really didn’t want to Switzerland or Portugal. And since winning winning the Cup this season I was at home leave, but my agent gave me the kick up the the Swiss Cup [in 2014], I know dreams can by 6.30pm… Å backside I needed. My family also encouraged come true. I want to keep improving, and as a me to take the leap, and I’ve been grateful to goalkeeper you are able do that. Adapted by Thomas Renggli them for it ever since. As soon as you move Another turning point in my career was away, you realise how good you had it at home. my appearance for FC Wohlen in the spring of That applies to everything from cooking, 2010. We were about to play a match against washing and vacuuming your own flat, all the Thun and we barely had 11 players fit enough way to the football itself. I realised that talent to start the game. The coach initially wanted alone wouldn’t guarantee me a successful to play me up front, but then the first-choice 13 Photo13

/ career. My former goalkeeping coach Stefan keeper picked up an injury, so I got to go in Knuti always said: “80 per cent is mental, goal. I had a fantastic game that secured me a 20 per cent is talent”. I had to give up a lot of contract with Thun – my ﬁrst Super League In Turning Point, personalities reflect

MauriceHaas things such as partying, going out and eating club. on a decisive moment in their lives.

#allin or nothing Make a choice at adidas.com/allin

+134059_Ad_FIFA-Weekly_World_Cup_Onfield_FW14_Product_Group_Shot_215x289.indd 1 20.05.14 17:25 THE SOUND OF FOOTBALL THE OBJECT

Perikles Monioudis

ootball has not always been the socially-accepted, widely-supported sport it is today. F In Germany, for example, there used to be no shortage of sceptics who described the game as “uncultured oafishness with the feet” and viewed it as the “English disease”. They would have readily have banned it by law, their belief being that youngsters were beter of spending their time performing synchronised gymnastics exercises. The concept of individ- A Seleção of songs ual expression in sport did not enter the minds of football’s detractors. At the time, sport meant imitating the moves of a gymnas- Hanspeter Kuenzler tics instructor and obeying his orders. Even in England football was not without Home alone with an empty for some 40 years now. Accom- blends and nods to other gen- its critics. The FIFA Collection houses the fridge and no samba football panied only by tambourines res. Chico Buarque, master of caricature pictured above, which is from the on any channel anywhere? they declaim their texts, ofen subtle chansons, combines cover illustration of the magazine L’Assiete au There’s only one solution: improvised, sometimes satiri- smooth bossa nova with tin- Beurre in 1902. It depicts two French players, Brazilian music! cal, sometimes a social critique kling jazz piano in the an- with one saying to the other: “Stupid fool, but always wity, in a form of themic O Futebol, comparing a dirty lout – that’s how the poet Kipling de- n a country where being ob- rap reminiscent of Jamaican footballer’s job with the work scribes anyone who plays the uncouth game of sessed with football is the reggae MCs or West African of a painter or composer. And football. He’ll never be president of Racing.” I norm it’s no surprise that a Griots. Their football-themed eccentric “Brasil-Britpop” band Rudyard Kipling was born in India in 1865 disproportionately large num- contribution is called Futebol Pullovers draw parallels be- and moved to England as a five-year-old. ber of musicians have dedicat- No Inferno and covers among tween football and flirting in He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature ed a song or two to the first other things the weighty top- their eminently cheerful dity 37 years later and his most famous work, The true love of their lives, football. ics of heaven and hell. Futebol de óculos. Jungle Book, is still read by children the world Helpfully enough Brazilian mu- By way of a contrast we And should you feel in the over today. sic website Vagalume has com- turn to Band Skank. The Belo mood for a singalong, a buton Kipling was not given to snobbishness – he piled a rather fine and tuneful Horizonte four-piece initially on the lef of the screen la- declined a knighthood – but even for him foot- Seleção of such tunes. came together with the aim of belled Hinos de Futebol links ball was a step too far. He would certainly not Fluency in Portuguese is by combining the dancehall reg- to the official anthems of the have wanted to preside over Racing Club de no means a prerequisite for gae that was all the rage at the biggest Brazilian clubs. Æ France, as the Parisian outfit founded in 1882 geting the most out of the time with Brazilian melodies, was called at the time. website. A first exploratory but mutated into a classy indie In that era the only sports considered scan of the contents indicates rock band in the British tradi- worthy of playing required the use of hands. a multifaceted, broad-based tion and have already featured It is therefore somewhat ironic that the Racing and dynamic musical panora- at European and American Club rugby team, one of a variety of sports ma, entirely representative of rock festivals. É Uma Partida now ofered at the club, has long been more Brazil’s diverse cultural scene. de Futebol is an exhilarating successful that its football team. Å At one end of the spectrum all-electric amalgam of calyp- we have seasoned duo Caju & so, ska and rock. Castanha from Recife, per- The listener is continually

Sion Ap Tomos formers of the Embolada style surprised by the delicate htp://tinyurl.com/pf6ohrx

THE FIFA WEEKLY 37 The FIFA World Cup™ is where all of us want to be. © 2014 Visa. All rights reserved. Shrek © 2014 DreamWorks Animation L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. DreamWorks © 2014 Shrek Visa. All rights reserved. © 2014

JOB 2353-1.34-15373- 21.5x28.9 (JR) VISA-SHREK INGLES.indd 1 02/06/14 17:52 The FIFA Weekly FIFA QUIZ CUP Published weekly by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 14 goals conceded in two World Cup appearances and a team with Internet: www.ﬁfa.com/theweekly no goals against – test your knowledge!

Publisher: FIFA, FIFA-Strasse 20, PO box, CH-8044 Zurich Tel. +41-(0)43-222 7777 1 One keeper made just two World Cup appearances and conceded 14 goals – but still ended up a Fax +41-(0)43-222 7878 world champion. Who coached his team? President: Joseph S. Blater K S W B

Secretary General: Jérôme Valcke

Director of Communications and Public Afairs: Walter De Gregorio

Chief Editor: Perikles Monioudis

Staf Writers: Thomas Renggli (Author), Alan Schweingruber, Sarah Steiner 2 What’s in the picture? Art Direction: Catharina Clajus

Picture Editor: A Foundation stone of the Home of FIFA in Zurich Peggy Knotz, Andreas Wilhelm I World Cup trophy Production: O Wall of a VIP box at the Maracana Hans-Peter Frei E Fair Play trophy

Layout: Richie Krönert (Lead), Marianne Bolliger-Critin, Susanne Egli, Mirijam Ziegler 3 Which nation never conceded a goal (except in penalty shoot-outs) at a World Cup? Proof Reader: Nena Morf, Kristina Rotach

Contributors: Sérgio Xavier Filho, Luigi Garlando, Sven Goldmann, Hanspeter Kuenzler, E G Jordi Punti, David Winner, L N Roland Zorn

Contributors to this Issue: Lucia Clemens (Picture), Alissa Rosskopf 4 Which country is a previous Word Cup winner?

Editorial Assistant: Honey Thaljieh

Project Management: Bernd Fisa, Christian Schaub

Translation: D Kingdom north of … Sportstranslations Limited G Republic east of … www.sportstranslations.com N Island south of … Printer: O Union west of … Zoﬁnger Tagblat AG www.ztonline.ch

Contact: feedback-theweekly@ﬁfa.org

Reproduction of photos or The answer to last week’s Quiz Cup was PASS articles in whole or in part is only Detailed answers on www.fifa.com/theweekly permited with prior editorial Inspiration and implementation: cus approval and if atributed “The FIFA Weekly, © FIFA 2014”. The editor and staf are not obliged to publish unsolicited manuscripts Send your answers by 25 June 2014 to feedback-theweekly@fifa.org and photos. FIFA and the FIFA logo are registered trademarks of FIFA. Correct solutions to all quizzes published from 13 June 2014 onwards will go into a draw in January 2015 for a trip Made and printed in Switzerland. for two to the FIFA Ballon d’Or on 12 January 2015. Before sending in answers, all participants must read and accept the competition terms and conditions and the rules, Any views expressed in The FIFA Weekly do not which can be found at: necessarily reflect those of FIFA. http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/af-magazine/fifaweekly/02/20/51/99/en_rules_20140613_english_neutral.pdf

THE FIFA WEEKLY 39 ASK THE WEEKLY THIS WEEK’S POLL

Which two Group H teams will qualify for the Round of 16?

Defending champions Spain’s 5-1 defeat by the Netherlands and their early exit were the first major surprises of this World Cup. Has a reigning champion ever lost at a World Cup by such a high margin? Stefan Lehmann, Kusnacht, Switzerland At this summer's World Cup, there is no group more open than that of Belgium, Algeria, Russia No. It was also only the fifh time and Korea Republic. Who are your favourites, and which two teams do you think will progress? the reigning champions have begun Email your predictions to: feedback-theweekly@fifa.org the tournament with a defeat afer Italy’s 3-2 loss to Sweden in 1950, 1-0 losses for Argentina against LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS Belgium in 1982 and Cameroon in 1990, and France’s 1-0 defeat by Senegal in 2002. The last time Spain conceded five or more goals Which teams will qualify from Group D? in a match was exactly 51 years ago when Scotland beat them 6-2 in a

Madrid friendly on 13 June 1963. 55 % Costa Rica and one other The only time Spain lost by a higher margin at the World Cup was in 26 % Italy and England Brazil in 1950, when the Iberians Italy and Uruguay were defeated 6-1 by the hosts. (thr) 19 %

WEEK IN NUMBERS

140The number of international caps won by Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Bufon, who has so far 13Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa’s been unable to add to that tally favourite number. Not only does it at the World Cup due to an adorn the back of his shirt, it is also ankle injury. He is now back in the date of his maiden World Cup training and hoping to regain Russia coach Fabio Capello turned 68 appearance (13 June 2014). In the his starting berth, which 68on the day of his side’s 1-1 group stage group game against Brazil he appears more than likely draw with South Korea. It may not made a string of extraordinary according to his stand-in have been the victory he was afer, but saves to keep the World Cup hosts Salvatore Sirigu: “We have to the Italian was nevertheless satisﬁed at bay, while his birthday is on 13 be realistic. There is no with his players’ eforts: “My team’s July - the day of the Final. No competition for places reaction to going behind was really prizes for guessing what he between Gigi and me. He’s good. That was the best birthday present

would like as a present. more than a player.” they could have given me.” Getty Images